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Oliver

Disclaimer: Oliver is not a certified strength coach. He is just a 20-something-year-old who’s spent too much time learning about how to train.

Training should be efficient. There’s a reason why big, multi-joint compound exercises are so popular. They provide a high return on investment. It’s the 80/20 principle. Exercises like the squat, bench, deadlift, and overhead press give you the most bang gains for your buck time invested. So, to gain size and strength, progression in the main compound movements is key.

The training template is based on principles illustrated in the GZCL method and Brian Alsruhe’s YouTube video. The main lifts incorporate 5/3/1.

5/3/1 was originally created as a powerlifting protocol. We’re not using it for pure powerlifting. So you’ll do 5/3/1 just for the main movement of the day. Traditionally, this is the squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press. While the original 5/3/1 protocol planned for monthly progression, this is modified to progress weekly. This is helpful because while many advanced lifters can’t progress in a linear fashion, beginners and intermediates usually can.

The original spreadsheet (created by Reddit user nSuns) was meant for powerlifting, so there are many sets. Don’t worry about that – I greyed out all the irrelevant stuff. Just do the 3 sets, 5, 3, and 1+. The 1+ set is as many reps as possible (leaving 1 rep in the tank). Then, depending on how you’re feeling, you can do 1-2 more sets using the weight you used in the first set. They should feel challenging, but doable.

To get started, work up to a “max” set (don’t go to complete failure) of 3-5 reps in the various main exercises: squat, bench, deadlift, incline bench, etc. Then, calculate your ~1 rep maxes. Plug these into the spreadsheet, and you’re good to go. You’ll now have your weights for your first training session, and start working up from there.

Additionally, it’s important to have a strong posterior chain: back, glutes, hamstrings, etc. For the upper body, like Joe DeFranco put it, it’s good to have a “powerlifter’s bench, bodybuilder’s back” approach. What this means is training pulling movements with a higher volume than pressing movements; a 2:1 ratio is a good rule of thumb. So, rowing variations and upper back exercises like facepulls and band pull-aparts will be done throughout the week. As for the lower body, it’s good to incorporate unilateral work: Bulgarian split squats, lunge variations, pistol squats, single leg RDLs, hip thrusts and glute bridges, etc.

As for exercise selection – you can modify the exercises as needed. The main movement can be any compound barbell or dumbbell movement. For example, I prefer the trap bar deadlift over the conventional deadlift. Some people might substitute out overhead pressing with the incline bench. Figure out what works for you.

Always remember the most important principle in strength training: progressive overload. Which simply means to do more over time.

Ending Remarks

You are going to make progress, and it’s going to feel good. At some point, however, your progress will begin to slow down. Don’t lose faith. This is when the real gains start. Up to this point, your body was simply to the lifts and becoming more efficient in the movement. When you start to plateau, and then you make progress, that is when you are really getting bigger and stronger. So stay optimistic. We all have the potential to get better.

Keeping a training journal is highly recommended. I personally use a Moleskine. There’s something special about visually seeing your progress. Big key to making gains.

It’s been almost two weeks since your last game in a Lakers uniform, and it’s still crazy to think that you’re never playing an NBA game again. You entered the league right as I was born, and now that you’ve retired, it’s really a bittersweet moment for me and millions of others. I wanted to wait at least a week before I wrote this so I wouldn’t be a prisoner of the moment. If I had written this the night you dropped 60, I might have proclaimed you the GOAT – greater than MJ, Magic, Kareem, anyone. Now that I’ve had some time to collect my thoughts, I can “objectively” say you’re my GOAT, not THE GOAT. For the longest time, you were invincible; battling through injuries after injuries, season after season. Yet, Father Time is undefeated. I would thank you for 20 seasons of giving it your absolute all, but there’s more.

Now, I might not have been able to model much of your game with my 6”3′ un-athletic frame (I’m working on it), but for as long as I can remember, I’ve looked up to you. I grew up playing the game; elementary school, middle school, high school, and now in college. In the future, I may be up to other things – working on new ventures and making moves in other areas – but you’ll never see me separated from basketball for more than 24 hours. Never have, never will. Basketball has become much more than a game; it’s become a lifestyle. And I don’t say that with the clichéd “ball is life” mindset that has become far too popular. And I also don’t say that with the mindset many aspiring basketball players might have, that basketball is the be-all and end-all. I say so because basketball has been and continues to be one of my greatest teachers in life; something I owe you, Kobe, a lot of credit for.

From your personal trials and tribulations over the years, I’ve learnt to sacrifice, to see the beauty in the struggle, and to outwork everyone, period. You truly epitomized the “fake it till you make it” mentality, and man did you make it; you became the closest thing to MJ we will ever see. You’re the MJ of our generation, and the GOAT in my books. Above all else however, you’ve taught me to stay true to myself; and for that, I cannot thank you enough. I sincerely hope the Lakers retire both 8 and 24. It shows not only your transformation as a basketball player, but also as a leader and a person. Perhaps 20 years down the line, I can do the same and look back at every jersey I’ve worn, remember the kind of person I was at the time, and appreciate how basketball has shaped me as a person. Until then, it’s up to me to not talk the talk, but walk the walk. Vino.